Michelle Carter, convicted in texting suicide case, is denied parole
Michelle Carter, who as a teenager sent texts urging her then-boyfriend to kill himself, has been denied parole.
Carter was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2017 after her 18-year-old boyfriend, Conrad Roy III, died of carbon monoxide poisoning from locking himself in his truck in Massachusetts in 2014.
Prosecutors argued Carter, then 17, was reckless and caused Roy's death by telling him over the phone to get back in his truck even though they say he didn't want to die.
During sentencing, the judge said Carter admitted in texts that she took no action to help Roy; she knew the location of his truck and did not notify Roy's mother or sisters.
Carter began serving a 15-month jail sentence in February. She had been sentenced to two and a half years in jail with 15 months to be served and the rest suspended.
Members of the Massachusetts Parole Board said they were "troubled that Ms. Carter not only encouraged Mr. Conrad [Roy] to take his own life, she actively prevented others from intervening in his suicide."
"Ms. Carter's self-serving statements and behavior, leading up to after his suicide, appear to be irrational and lacked sincerity," the members said. "Release does not meet the legal standard."
Carter's attorney, Joseph Cataldo, told ABC News on Friday that the board's is based on the "incorrect and dangerous" of a prior legal ruling.
He said they have appealed with the U.S. Supreme Court.
"Additionally, it is never in society's best interest to incarcerate anyone for the content of their speech where there is not a specific statute previously enacted," he added.
